The NBA enters its third weekend with eight games on its docket, including seven on the main slate (starting 7 p.m. ET or later). There are not a whole lot of great matchups today, with the most intriguing being the Boston Celtics (5-3) at the New York Knicks (4-3) and the Portland Trail Blazers (6-2) visiting the Phoenix Suns (6-2). NBA TV will televise each game, starting with the Celtics-Knicks at 7:30 p.m. (ET) and the Trail Blazers-Suns at 10. Still there’s opportunity to be had with some NBA player props featuring Jalen Green and Josh Hart. For more NBA best bets, be sure to visit the OddsShopper tool.
It is conceivable that Boston and New York will battle for the Atlantic division crown all season long. The Celtics and Knicks have not finished first and second in the division since 2011-12, when the Celtics claimed the Atlantic by three games over the Knicks. Both teams are coming off wins and are playing the second of back-to-back games.
The Celtics defeated the Chicago Bulls 123-119 last night behind another superb performance from Jayson Tatum, who registered his second straight double-double with 36 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists. Meanwhile, the Knicks erased a 12-point fourth-quarter deficit to eke out a 106-104 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers. Jalen Brunson tossed in 23 points to lead the winners, with R.J. Barrett adding 22 and Obi Toppin tallying 17, including 13 in the final stanza.
Portland and Phoenix are meeting for the second straight night at Footprint Center, with the winner taking sole possession of the top spot in the Western Conference. The Trail Blazers took last night’s affair 108-106 as Jeremi Grant hit a 13-foot baseline jumper at the buzzer to hand the Suns their first home. Grant finished with a season-high 30 points on 10 of 17 shooting from the field and 9 of 11 from the charity stripe. Devin Booker led the way for the Suns with 25 points, and Deandre Ayton chipped in with 22. This is the clubs’ third and final regular-season meeting; the Trail Blazers took the first game in Portland 113-111.
Best NBA Player Props
Green is still learning the NBA game, and it hasn’t helped the Rockets have not made it easy on the 20-year-old, making him the focal point of one of the worst offensive teams in the league. Jalen Green‘s overall numbers are not horrible, but he has struggled mightily on the road this year. He has not scored more than 22 points away from the Toyota Center this year and averages just 15.7 points on 28.3% shooting from the field and 26.7% from beyond the arc.
Plus, the matchup against Minnesota’s backcourt is not favorable for Green. The Timberwolves allow the fifth-fewest points to opposing guards while holding them to under 40% from the field and 34% from beyond the arc. Jalen Green is projected to finish with 19.5 points, with Stokastic giving the under a 66% chance of hitting with an EV of 27%.
Best NBA Bet Today: Jalen Green Under 22.5 Points
Josh Hart has been everything that the Trail Blazers could have hoped for when he came over from New Orleans in the C.J. McCollum deal before last year’s trade deadline. Hart is an all-round player who has been one of the Blazers’ best players on both ends of the floor while also being one of the team’s leaders. This makes a couple of his prop bets tonight no-brainers.
Hart averaged nearly 20 points a game in 13 games with the team last season. However, he has taken a back seat this year in that department, focusing more on the little things. Hart’s season-high of 19 points came in the season opener, and he has not tallied more than ten since. Hart has produced 17 points on 6 of 16 shooting, including 2 of 4 from the 3-point line in the two games versus the Suns. Moreover, Stokastic projects Hart, who averages 9.1 points in 15 career games against Phoenix, to finish with 10 points and gives the under a 76% chance of hitting. The EV on the under is 46%.
While Josh Hart has been scoring much — the Blazers rely on Grant, Nurkic, and Anfernee Simons (questionable for the game), among others, to put the ball in the hoop — he has hit the boards hard. Hart is the Blazers’ second-best rebounder, collecting 18.1% of all available rebounds on the defensive end and 11.1% of all rebounds. He has come up with 17 boards against the Suns this season and has grabbed seven or more caroms in six of the Blazers’ eight games. Hart is projected for 7.4 rebounds tonight, with Stokastic giving the over a 61% chance of hitting and an EV of 25%.
Best NBA Bet Today: Josh Hart Under 13.5 Points; Over 6.5 Rebounds
Nurkic has been known as one of the better passing centers in the NBA over the last few seasons, but he has struggled in that department this year. Nurkic has doled out 2.8 assists over the first eight contests, which played out the entire season would tie last year’s numbers and mark his lowest total in the past four years. He has totaled five dimes in his two games against the Suns this year and has failed to reach four assists in five appearances this year. Moreover, opposing centers average 3.1 assists and nearly three turnovers a game against the Suns. Stokastic projects Nurkic to finish with 2.3 assists tonight. The under is given an 80% chance of hitting with an EV of 35%.
Best NBA Player Prop Bet Today: Jusuf Nurkic Under 3.5 assists
